Chapter 121 – To whom I belong

Axion watched his fiancée in silence for a long moment.

Feeling the dampness of nervous sweat on her palms, Evelyn busied her fingers, fidgeting before she forced herself to continue.

“I only stepped out for some air… and happened to run into the Crown Prince.”

“Nothing happened?”

His voice, softened now as if to gauge her condition, made her blink rapidly. For the briefest moment, she hesitated, wondering if she should tell him the truth.

‘It wasn’t as though anything good could come of it…’

If Axion knew, he might march straight to the Crown Prince and exact retribution. After all, any attempt to harm his betrothed was, after all, an affront to the House of Valentino itself. She couldn’t risk bringing trouble upon either family, and with their goal now so close at hand, the last thing she wanted was to stir needless trouble.

Drawing a deep breath to steady herself, she gave a small shake of her head.

“No, nothing at all.”

Perhaps finding her answer unconvincing, Axion let out a low sigh.

“You’re still hard to figure out.”

“….!”

As moonlight revealed Evelyn’s flustered expression, the man murmured in an indifferent tone.

“Well, I can always find out for myself.”

He fell silent for a moment, as though lost in thought, then his gaze sharpened, as if some idea had just come to him.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Puzzled, she tilted her head. Axion slowly closed the distance between them, stopping at her feet.

“Close your eyes, Evelyn.”

“….?”

For an instant, she wondered if she had heard him correctly. Her eyes went wide, her lips parting in silent astonishment.

‘What on earth did he just say?’

The sudden gravity in her fiancé’s demeanor sent her thoughts racing in all directions. Surely he wasn’t about to… kiss her?

No, that can’t be it.

Despite the fact that she tried to dismiss the idea, it wasn’t entirely without precedent. Lately, he had been looking at her with that softened, smoldering gaze, and at times, he would close the space between them without warning. So, it wasn’t impossible that he might do something unexpected now.

Her wariness sharpened, and she spoke with a guarded expression.

“W-Why should I?”

For all the courage she tried to muster, the faint tremor at the end of her voice betrayed her.

Axion tilted his head slightly, the corner of his lips curling in a languid smile.

“What exactly was my fiancée thinking just now, I wonder?”

Only then did Evelyn realize she had completely misunderstood.

“I wasn’t thinking anything at all!”

She tried to deny it with feigned innocence, but it was a futile effort. Her cheeks, flushed scarlet with embarrassment, told their own story.

A fleeting smile brushed over Axion’s mouth as he looked at her. Then, without a word, he drew a small case from within his coat. Bathed in the faint spill of moonlight, she gazed down at the gift her fiancé held out to her. After a moment, her brows knit in puzzlement.

“What is this?”

“It’s your birthday today.”

His tone was as even and uninflected as ever, yet the mention of the date lit a flicker of surprise across her face.

That’s true, but…

He had always sent birthday gifts to the marquis’s estate before, so for him to deliver one in person stirred a strange, unfamiliar feeling within her.

But it was still too soon to be surprised by that alone.

When Axion lifted the lid of the small case, inside lay a ring set with diamonds.

“Wh–why would you…!”

Evelyn’s mouth fell open as her gaze darted between the man before her and the diamond ring in his hand.

Axion, perfectly composed, took her hand and lifted it. With deliberate care, he slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand, the faint curve of satisfaction tugging at his lips.

“Think of it as a kind of pledge.”

His words, as enigmatic as the man himself, made her expression turn unexpectedly grave.

Surely he isn’t… proposing?

Sensing the direction of her thoughts, the man let out a quiet, amused breath.

“Regrettably, it doesn’t mean that.”

“I thought as much.”

Relief softened her features, her face brightening noticeably and yet a flicker of doubt remained. Why give her such a thing so suddenly?

‘Even if it is my birthday, isn’t this a bit much?’